buying 500 gallons of heating oil tomorrow - Page 2

mrvette · 09-25-2011, 7:26pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingpin

That's cool looking shit.

We used to have tanks like that in my family Hardware store that. We had them filled with Kerosene and Varsol which we sold bulk to customers.

Your last name Broadhurst by chance??? My first job about 1/2 a century ago was in a hardware store just like that......Bethesda Maryland, just outside DC ....

and I wonder to this day how in hell that store did not go up nuclear....

varsol and Kero next to each other in tanks like shown above, and the freeking oil furnace in the middle between them, with the bird seen/corn and other grain products next to the mess not 5' away......

serious....and I understand they made a sort of olde tymes museum of that store in Bethesda....with all the renovation and high rises....

JRD77VET · 09-25-2011, 7:28pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by FasterTraffic

I don't think I've ever seen any of that before. I like Pennsylvania but, if I ever moved there, I'd probably need to take a class or something. Home Heating 101...

I have a fireplace and I've never used it.

Not every house has my set up. Oil heat ( either hot air or hot water /radiators ) and gas ( propane in the country, towns have natural gas ) are popular. Electric is gaining a foothold since oil prices have risen.

Heat pumps work ok here until it gets cold ( 20*F or less ). Then you're freezing your ass off .

We get some snow here too

mrvette · 09-25-2011, 7:59pm

The vast majority of HVAC men will say that heat pumps don't work good above the NC border as they become a drag below 40f temps.....

I have a water/air heat exchanger on the waste end of the heat cycle, so in winter it blows a easy 110f and there is no defrost cycle....

trick is, you need to irrigate with the waste water after the heat pump has changed the temp of it....I piss it all over the lawn much as possible....

lspencer534 · 09-25-2011, 8:00pm

So...how long does 500 gals. of heating oil last? I have all-electric heat, so at $220/mo (estimated) for heating, $1500+ would last a long time. I'm in Zone 8 (lower South) though.

lspencer534 · 09-25-2011, 8:01pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrvette

The vast majority of HVAC men will say that heat pumps don't work good above the NC border as they become a drag below 40f temps.....

I have a water/air heat exchanger on the waste end of the heat cycle, so in winter it blows a easy 110f and there is no defrost cycle....

trick is, you need to irrigate with the waste water after the heat pump has changed the temp of it....I piss it all over the lawn much as possible....

I can believe that.....

JRD77VET · 09-25-2011, 8:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lspencer534

So...how long does 500 gals. of heating oil last? I have all-electric heat, so at $220/mo (estimated) for heating, $1500+ would last a long time. I'm in Zone 8 (lower South) though.

We'll use about 350-400 gallons running the Franco-Belge from Oct to April plus we burn coal. The oil heater will start up if it gets below 65*

mrvette · 09-25-2011, 8:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lspencer534

So...how long does 500 gals. of heating oil last? I have all-electric heat, so at $220/mo (estimated) for heating, $1500+ would last a long time. I'm in Zone 8 (lower South) though.

My father used to run about 250 gal/month curious as to what it runs these daze also....

only been 40 years....

xXBUDXx · 09-25-2011, 8:15pm

When was the last time your fuel filter was changed?

mrvette · 09-25-2011, 8:27pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXBUDXx

When was the last time your fuel filter was changed?

One of the circle of friends upon coming back from VN went into the HVAC business, and so with his skills....he visited a friends house one time when Neil was spending some MAJOR BUX/month to heat his house WAY outta line on gallons....and sure enough the service was handled by the fuel oil company....

you know Mike went out there and cut his fuel oil use by over 50% .....seriously....they had Neils furnace burning RICH as hell, and then there was no fresh air intake to the suction side of the fan.....so Mike added one about 4" diameter, to put a + pressure on the house and prevent cold air incursion ....

cut Neil's winter bills by over 50%......damn oil company crooks....he NEVER let them back in the house again...ever....

upon hearing of that, I called Mike to look at my old GAS fired furnace....he went direct drive and some other jetting changes, and easy cut 30% off our heating bills....same cold air outside pressur change pipe on the suck side of the blower, also....

I called him out to my mom's place, same story....running rich, but they had a bad ducting system...something about velocity and routing and so the HVAC mechanics screwed up the install when it was built...it was a massive screw up, so we let it alone and sold the house years later....

xXBUDXx · 09-25-2011, 8:35pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrvette

One of the circle of friends upon coming back from VN went into the HVAC business, and so with his skills....he visited a friends house one time when Neil was spending some MAJOR BUX/month to heat his house WAY outta line on gallons....and sure enough the service was handled by the fuel oil company....

you know Mike went out there and cut his fuel oil use by over 50% .....seriously....they had Neils furnace burning RICH as hell, and then there was no fresh air intake to the suction side of the fan.....so Mike added one about 4" diameter, to put a + pressure on the house and prevent cold air incursion ....

cut Neil's winter bills by over 50%......damn oil company crooks....he NEVER let them back in the house again...ever....

upon hearing of that, I called Mike to look at my old GAS fired furnace....he went direct drive and some other jetting changes, and easy cut 30% off our heating bills....same cold air outside pressur change pipe on the suck side of the blower, also....

I called him out to my mom's place, same story....running rich, but they had a bad ducting system...something about velocity and routing and so the HVAC mechanics screwed up the install when it was built...it was a massive screw up, so we let it alone and sold the house years later....

You would be simply amazed what an educated man and a $1200 combustion analyzer can do. There are far too many fuel oil systems that are running rich.

All of the guys I have worked with in the Mass/ NH area knew their stuff. They were not cheap, but the service they provide is top notch.

If anyone needs a service contractor in that area, shoot me a PM. I also know a great company in Loveland, CO. I will not recommend anyone that I have not worked with personally.

JRD77VET · 09-25-2011, 8:43pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXBUDXx

When was the last time your fuel filter was changed?

Last year but my heater guy is scheduled for next week.

I stopped using the heater techs from the heating oil company after the first time my friend Chris ( my heater guy ) tuned up my heater.

He got it burning for peak effiency instead of how the oil company had it set. Why would they set it for using less oil when they supply the oil?

JRD77VET · 09-25-2011, 8:46pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXBUDXx

You would be simply amazed what an educated man and a $1200 combustion analyzer can do. There are far too many fuel oil systems that are running rich.

All of the guys I have worked with in the Mass/ NH area knew their stuff. They were not cheap, but the service they provide is top notch.

If anyone needs a service contractor in that area, shoot me a PM. I also know a great company in Loveland, CO. I will not recommend anyone that I have not worked with personally.

Just read this after posting the reply to the filter question. Chris has that analyzer

xXBUDXx · 09-25-2011, 8:59pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRD77VET

Last year but my heater guy is scheduled for next week.

I stopped using the heater techs from the heating oil company after the first time my friend Chris ( my heater guy ) tuned up my heater.

He got it burning for peak effiency instead of how the oil company had it set. Why would they set it for using less oil when they supply the oil?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRD77VET

Just read this after posting the reply to the filter question. Chris has that analyzer

Sounds like he knows what's going on.

mrvette · 09-25-2011, 9:03pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXBUDXx

You would be simply amazed what an educated man and a $1200 combustion analyzer can do. There are far too many fuel oil systems that are running rich.

All of the guys I have worked with in the Mass/ NH area knew their stuff. They were not cheap, but the service they provide is top notch.

If anyone needs a service contractor in that area, shoot me a PM. I also know a great company in Loveland, CO. I will not recommend anyone that I have not worked with personally.

Yeh, Mike hooked up a bunch of gauges and shit, I knew not of much even with his explains...certainly can't remember shit...only been some 30 years....just remember the bux NOT going outta my accounts, THAT I remember...'-))

Frizzle · 09-25-2011, 9:19pm

i live 15 miles or so from Jeff,

3/4 of the house is heated by a gas furnace. the living room breakfast nook and the master bed room use a in attic heat pump. The T-stat for the pump is up in the master bed room. We also have a gas fireplace in the living room so we use that to heat the downstairs portion of the house.

Jeff, was it Farm and Home?

JRD77VET · 09-25-2011, 9:30pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frizzle

i live 15 miles or so from Jeff,

3/4 of the house is heated by a gas furnace. the living room breakfast nook and the master bed room use a in attic heat pump. The T-stat for the pump is up in the master bed room. We also have a gas fireplace in the living room so we use that to heat the downstairs portion of the house.

Jeff, was it Farm and Home?

Farm and Home price is high to start with. They were the ones with the excessively rich burner "tune up".

I got my oil from Kerver Oil in East Greenville. They matched the price from ranson .

My friend Chris ( in Pennsburg ) is working for another company instead of for himself. I can PM you his number if you need it